View Full Version : Help Identify Please.
sasquatch2014
10-24-2008, 13:37
Can someone please help me identify this snake? It seems to like my basement today. I like to know what company I keep. They say it can be a reflection you.:D
I would stay out of the basement snake is what it looks like to me lol
Man I hope that I'm wrong But that does look like a Timber Rattlesnake
I Googled "Snakes of NY and came up with this
http://www.angelfire.com/ny4/nywildlife/Snakes/Timber.html
The shape of the head would lead me to believe its non-poisonous.
It looks like the head of some type of a python. Maybe someone's missing a pet in your neighborhood!
I think it's an eastern milk snake. It is non-venomous - as you can see from the head shape. It's a beneficial snake and eats rodents, among other small prey. Some are colorful, but there is a common gray-brown version and it looks to me to be that one.
It looks like the head of some type of a python. Maybe someone's missing a pet in your neighborhood!
Could very wll be .When I first saw the pic i thought that while the shape of the head was all wrong for a rattlesnake, the markings and the mass of the snake were right So maybe it was the angle of the pic that made the head look wrong
I may have incorrectly assumed that it was a native species
Montana Mac
10-24-2008, 15:05
Not knowing the length I think it is a milk snake - these photos may help
TwistedToad
10-24-2008, 15:05
it is a ball python. It looks just like mine. They are great pets and only grow to 5' or less. Depends on the size of the " container" they are kept in.
Looks a whole lot like my friend's pet ball python.
Here's Cammie helping Frito do the dishes. Look familiar?
http://s25.photobucket.com/albums/c70/vickrhines/?action=tageditmany
Sorry, messed up loading. Does this look like your snake? If so, it's a ball python, a great pet, affectionate, lots of personality.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c70/vickrhines/Camydoingdishes.jpg
It looks nothing like an Eastern Milk Snake to me, we have those around here and the red is unmistakable. I see no red on sasquatch's snake.
Edited: I missed senache's point about a gray-brown version, could very well be that!
Click on Snakes of New York (http://www.esf.edu/pubprog/brochure/snakes/snakes.htm) to view an online brochure provided by SUNY's College of Environmental Science and Forestry. See also this centerfold (http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/administration_pdf/snakes.pdf) which originally appeared in The Conservationist.
Neither reference linked above provides an image of the quality I'd wanted to post. Click on better image (http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/snakes/lamtri.htm) to view several from Snakes of Georgia and South Carolina, a reference I've linked before.
bigcranky
10-24-2008, 16:48
It's not a python, the shape and pattern are wrong. It's likely a rat snake, or possibly a corn snake with an odd color pattern (odd for a wild snake, anyway.) Harmless, unless you are a mouse. I'd be happy to have him living in my basement for the winter.
aaroniguana
10-24-2008, 18:47
Lampropeltis Triangulum, the Eastern Milk Snake. It is DEFINITELY NOT a ball python, or any other type of boid.
Pick it up and put it outside if you can't live with it. But it will reduce the rodent population of your house. And before you tell me you don't have a rodent population, it wouldn't be IN your house if you had no rodents.
budforester
10-24-2008, 19:11
Maybe you could pull it out in the open for a better picture.
Lampropeltis Triangulum, the Eastern Milk Snake. It is DEFINITELY NOT a ball python, or any other type of boid.
Pick it up and put it outside if you can't live with it. But it will reduce the rodent population of your house. And before you tell me you don't have a rodent population, it wouldn't be IN your house if you had no rodents.
I don't think I would pick up anything I didn't know what was for certain.
I bet the ol' lady will buy plenty of mouse traps for you to deal with the rodents. Imagine the reaction the first time it crawls from behind something in the cupboard.
Sweep that puppy into a big trash can, then lid it. Be advised a big corn/milk snake can come up out of a 30 gal can.
aaroniguana
10-24-2008, 20:51
It takes a certain amount of insanity to climb up into a garage loft not knowing what you'll find. If I still lived in Florida I'd be concerned. Mostly escaped or wild iguanas (hence my name) and boas, sometimes a rattler there, but even they don't strike unless stressed or threatened. Problem is that unlicensed breeders aren't always careful and the occasional cobra shows up. That's not much fun. But even >12' pythons are very easy to handle. Unless you have small mammal urine on your hands, there is practically zero chance that a corn snake or most other constrictor will strike you.
You don't have small mammal urine on your hands do you?:D
I got tagged on the bottom of a Vibram sole by an agitated corn type snake.
Caught my attention.
You can have my share of attic time, in any climate.
As far as what's on my hands, how much you got to lather to get mouse off?
aaroniguana
10-24-2008, 21:20
Quick rub down with some Purell. Small mammals include kittens and puppies BTW.
Toddlers?
Or are we talking furry here?
(Just being a wiseacre.)
I leave all snakes alone. As they do me.
aaroniguana
10-24-2008, 21:29
That is part of natures balance.
sasquatch2014
10-25-2008, 03:15
Well he got out of the bucket that I had him in for both of my kids to have a look at and see if we could get a definitive answer on the type. I showed my wife the pics of the snake and she said she was sad that it got away it would have liked the basement and the mice. She's cool with it living down there. Now we just need to find it again.
It will be back.
I have use for a good resident rodent munching snake here. But not in the cellar. (I would build it a nice rock pile close to a shed!)
Flush2wice
10-25-2008, 09:59
It's a corn snake.
wrongway_08
10-25-2008, 11:24
Cornsnake. Just pick it up, it aint going to hurt you much :) . I would just leave it be, takes care of the mice.
wrongway_08
10-25-2008, 11:29
As far as getting the smell of mice off your hands, dont worry about it. If you are going to worry about it, just soap and water real fast - it'll get the smell off.
Jack Tarlin
10-25-2008, 16:29
I also think it's a corn snake. Absolutely harmless and a great way to de-mouse your house. Keep a water dish filled up regularly and enjoy.
Corn snakes are not native (http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7483.html) to New York. According to what I've read, they're one of the most common captive-bred snakes kept as pets in the U.S. and their coloration is quite variable. Someone's pet snake could have escaped as they sometimes do.
If it is a corn snake and I haven't seen an image of one colored as the snake in question, it raises a question as to what should be done with it. A non-native species shouldn't be released.
aaroniguana
10-25-2008, 17:27
It's a milk snake. The major difference is a slight different shape of the head and the less vivid striations. Also corn snakes don't live that far north. Of course that's what we use to say about rattlesnakes... ;)
aaroniguana
10-25-2008, 17:29
Who ya gonna trust? A hiking herpetoculturist or a hiking herpetologist?:D
rootball
10-25-2008, 20:20
Great pets. I bet someone is looking for that snake.
trouthunter
10-25-2008, 20:33
Thump it on the head and see if it rattles, how hard can this possibly be?:D
Sasquatch, when you run out of snake food, I'll take him off your hands. I have caught so many mice (15) in the past week that I am considering moving into an AT shelter. :D
Rusticus
10-25-2008, 21:06
Its hard to tell exactly by the picture but it is either a northern water snake or an eastern milk snake i could tell you for sure if i had a better picture of the underside, but it is definatly not venomous. You can tell by the round pupils and there are no pits between its eye and nostril which any rattlesnake would have. I used to have a couple watersnakes for pets, and have handled milk snakes, besides a few pricks of the skin they are completly harmless. If it was a milk snake you could probably sell it as a pet, pet stores get around 60 bucks i think
Wouldn't that be illegal since by law the milksnake belongs to the State of New York unless someone else can prove ownership?:rolleyes:
Why would a northern water snake be in sasquatch2014's basement? Most basements are not good places to find water, frogs and fish.:-?
Rusticus strikes me as the kind of person who would find 2 inch diameter spheres with black hulls in a walnut orchard and insist they are acorns.
Rusticus
10-26-2008, 04:15
Hey i know what im talking about, like i said if i had a picture of the underside i could tell for sure but watersnakes do hybernate just like every other snake in cooler climates, they don't have gills so they do leave the water. Basements make good hybernation dens. Still i think more than likly it is a milk snake. How would you prove ownership of a snake, they don't exactly come with birth certicicates and social security cards?
aaroniguana
10-26-2008, 09:54
OK. So we've established that it eats rodents. :rolleyes:
Anyone? Anyone?
Flush2wice
10-26-2008, 09:58
I'd say it's some sort of snake.
A snake that eats rodents. :cool:
wrongway_08
10-26-2008, 12:12
Your "guard" chicken and your puppy eat worms, I thinking its a safe bet this pet snake will eat worms also.. :) !
Th
He'd make a great backpacking partner. You wouldn't have to carry shelter for him. Just let him be a shelter dweller. That would handle a lot of problems. :D
How would you prove ownership of a snake, they don't exactly come with birth certificates and social security cards?
I would think those purchased legally come with a proper receipt.
There was a fellow just on the news the other day that lost a run in with the law over a pet chicken. He and his wife are now fed up with our Queen and country and moving to Boston. Can't say I blame hime, but some of you might question his choice of destination.
Maybe he should have said it was a seeing eye chicken.
aaroniguana
10-26-2008, 17:38
Nonsense. It was his hearing chicken. Everyone knows chickens have poor eyesight.
Possession of native reptiles in New York is prohibited. Go here (http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/31339.html) and scroll down all the way to the bottom.
aaroniguana
10-26-2008, 20:01
Now you did it Sasquatch... the snake police are coming for you. ATTICA! ATTICA!
Just pointing out a fact no one has yet mentioned. I gathered, based upon earlier posts, he had hoped to catch and I assume release it elsewhere.
If it is a milksnake, releasing it in suitable habitat would seem to be the proper course of action. A phone call to a New York DEC herpetologist might lead to positive identification, a suggestion of a suitable release site or assistance with relocating it.
bigcranky
10-26-2008, 20:30
If it's a native wild milk snake or any of its kin (rat snake, etc), then his basement IS a suitable habitat for the winter. That's why the snake chose it. Have you noticed that it's getting chilly outside?
wrongway_08
10-26-2008, 20:39
Hahaha, all this over a milksnake???? People calling out the snake police :) !!!
Not that big of a deal. Tooo damn funny :) !
Call it a univited house guest that wont leave. Just dont call it a "pet" or the snake po-po will get their panties in bunch........ and dont try to write it off as a dependent on your taxes or the irs snitches will get their panties in a bunch :) !
Hahaha, all this over a milksnake?
I find this thread interesting and informative. It does seem to be getting a great deal of attention. If you don't find it interesting and informative, don't read it.
Every day, we are presented with opportunities to learn something new. Some people squander them, others sieze them and their lives are enriched.
If it's a native wild milk snake or any of its kin (rat snake, etc), then his basement IS a suitable habitat for the winter. That's why the snake chose it.
Is it suitable winter habitat? Just because the snake turned up there does not mean it's suitable habitat.
The landlord is also not required to provide housing.
bigcranky
10-26-2008, 21:37
Is it suitable winter habitat? Just because the snake turned up there does not mean it's suitable habitat.
It's warm, dry, and has the occasional mouse. All mod cons, as they say. What's not to like?
aaroniguana
10-27-2008, 00:07
Most snakes outside of tropical settings do brumate (that's the reptile equivalent of hibernate). I don't recall if Lampropeltis is among them but I agree, if it decided to set up housekeeping in someone's basement, and accosting wild reptiles is illegal in NY State, I'd either leave it alone or call the local wildlife agency.
But I'd just leave it alone, which I think I already said. It will leave on it's own when it has exhausted it's food supply or the weather becomes pleasant again.
betcha the ny snake police don't even know that they are supposed to police the big wb snake incident of 2008. :rolleyes:
Wise Old Owl
10-27-2008, 00:59
the pattern & head suggest a Black Racer, it is non-poisonous and all to familiar & very common.
Scroll halfway down this page.
http://www.duke.edu/~jspippen/herps/blackracer.htm
A snake that eats rodents. :cool:
yep, a snake that eats rodents. :cool:
Black Racer
No, it's not a timber rattlesnake either, but I found a fact sheet (http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7147.html) provided by New York DEC.
aaroniguana
10-27-2008, 01:09
We need one more post INSISTING that its a Ball Python to round out the weekend...
Too late; it's Monday. Where has the weekend gone?
We need one more post INSISTING that its a Ball Python to round out the weekend...
It is an anaconda. I insist.
looks like a pant snake to me. beat it on the head repeatedly and call the police immediately. those things should not be on the loose. i insist.
Flush2wice
10-27-2008, 15:29
It's either a malted milksnake, or as Kanga suggests, a reticulated trouser snake that somehow got loose.
As far as what's on my hands, how much you got to lather to get mouse off?
I would say use lotion, so that you don't irritate the skin. That is assuming it's a trouser mouse. :D
sasquatch2014
11-02-2008, 12:20
been keeping an eye out for my friend but now that we are getting temps at night down to at or near freezing I have a feeliung that will be the last sighting of him this year. Hope he winters well and I'll look forward to seeing him in the spring.
"it aint going to hurt you much :)" says Wrongway? humph...just like the little itty bitty garner snake with a big attitude problem in NY? :)
Go here (http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=12268).
That is not a poisonous snake in the original post. The Jack 0 lantern pattern on the head is what we see in alot of our non-poisoinous constrictors in the midwest.
Are you sure it isn't a copperhead?
Hi Shades, yes I am sure it is not a copperhead. I have seen alot of those and the copperhead has the copper head, with no pattern, even if it is the brown shade, Osage v. Southern, and the hourglass pattern, not the pattern of this snake and the copperhead head is distinctive pit viper head and shape. The picture gives us a nice shot of the head. This little guy is not a pit viper. They have snakes in New York we do not have and we have snakes here they do not have, but that snake is some kind of non poisonous constrictor, somebody's escaped pet or what, I don't know, but that jack o lantern pattern is very common with our cornsnakes, milk shakes and juvenile king and rat snakes. I don't know enought about boas to comment, but they are non poisonous too, but not native.
Hi Shades, yes I am sure it is not a copperhead.
Thanks, I'm glad! I'm sitting close enough to my monitor to be on the receiving end of a cyberbite.
aaroniguana
11-02-2008, 22:34
:rolleyes:
Someone just sent me a link to some copperhead pics and a New York range map (http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/44646.html). AT hikers there should be on the lookout for them.
I picked up one of these this past Saturday on Hosner Mtn. in NY.
http://www.esf.edu/pubprog/images/snakes/ribbon.jpg
:rolleyes:
You know, you're sure to give yourself headache holding that paper above your head to read it. Maybe you should get some eye glasses.
Good one.
I hope they did not kill it. We haven't gotten the rest of the story. I wish I would get a snake trying to hibernate in my house instead of the wasps I have gotten so far. I am up to 23 as of this afternoon.
Nice garter snake Tin Man. Or an Eastern Ribbon. Hard to tell, but they will try to gum on you sometimes. A fun snake to handle.
aaroniguana
11-02-2008, 22:45
You know, you're sure to give yourself headache holding that paper above your head to read it.
What gives me a headache is posters here who have some unnatural need to debate the color blue. I have no idea why, it was rather entertaining at first.
I have two problems in my house - mice and ladybugs. The mice come inside in the fall and I trapped 18 in the last two weeks. But the traps have been empty for 4 days now, so I don't think the snake would not be too happy if I brought him home. The ladybugs takeover in the spring and there always seems to be a few around. They hang-out on the south-facing side of the house.
Nice garter snake Tin Man. Or an Eastern Ribbon. Hard to tell, but they will try to gum on you sometimes. A fun snake to handle.
I never picked one up before, but after being startled several times by coming across snakes underfoot this fall, for whatever reason I thought I would say hello to this one. I think he was in shock when I picked him up, because he didn't move or doing anything. After I set him back down, he didn't move for almost a minute. Probably should have just left him be.
TinMan, I have wasps. One of my friends has a snake and mice. I would prfer snakes and lady bugs. I thinkg lady bugs are supposed to mean good luck or you are goingto win the lottery or some such. But you have alot of mice......
Tin Man , in fall the snakes are slow and sluggish. That snake is thinking hibernation, but they love a warm hand on a cool fall day. Those little garters will just warm right up to you on a cool day. Very nice pic. When I went to Washington state, the yellow stripes on the garters are mint green which I thought was very interesting.
TinMan, I have wasps. One of my friends has a snake and mice. I would prfer snakes and lady bugs. I thinkg lady bugs are supposed to mean good luck or you are goingto win the lottery or some such. But you have alot of mice......
Wasps inside would be tough for me since I am allergic. I do take out a few wasps and yellow jackets nests outside the house every year. Shoo-fly is awesome at killing them off. Good luck with that.
http://www.neeps.com/538159.html?productid=538159&channelid=NEXTA
Tin Man , in fall the snakes are slow and sluggish. That snake is thinking hibernation, but they love a warm hand on a cool fall day. Those little garters will just warm right up to you on a cool day. Very nice pic. When I went to Washington state, the yellow stripes on the garters are mint green which I thought was very interesting.
Warm hands - that makes sense.
FYI - That wasn't my pic - just linked to it from a NY snake website. I forgot my camera this trip.
What gives me a headache is posters here who have some unnatural need to debate the color blue. I have no idea why, it was rather entertaining at first.
I don't grasp why some found it entertaining. Furthermore, I don't know what debating the color blue entails, but I don't believe we need a demonstration. No doubt some here would find it quite natural.
I thought we were talking about a snake whose identity was not readily apparent... and it certainly wasn't blue. :)
Me too. Once we got started, I didn't see any harm in expanding the discussion into a general discussion about snakes in New York once an audience was assembled. We hadn't even gotten to the green snake yet!:D
Ever seen one, Erin?
I must have "crossed the streams". I don't understand the headache or blue color emails. I could not get them. I was enoying Shade of Gray's and Tin Man's dicussion about the topic. Tin Man, if you get a garter in the fall, pick it up and wonder at how it curls itself around your hand and wrists for warmth. Works on early summer days too with young non venonous snakes. They are like cats....use us for tempature.
I am working on the wasps. I am prepelexed since I have storm windows now, but I think they are coming in thru my chimney. I haven't been stung. They are very slow but it is an battle when I get home form work. I have had one on my shoe and one on my shirt but I got them first. I refuse to hose my house down with a spray, so I will just wait for the freeze.
So long as you're still hiking and didn't get wet feet, I wouldn't worry about headaches or the blues. I had fun too, but I must get some sleep. The sun comes up earlier now.;)
Gray Blazer
11-03-2008, 09:05
looks like a pant snake to me. beat it on the head repeatedly and call the police immediately. those things should not be on the loose. i insist.
Is his name Mr. Happy? I believe Robin Williams got a good shot of him at Gator Growl a few years back. (Someone from the audience handed him a camera and......well, you know Robin Williams).
I must have "crossed the streams". I don't understand the headache or blue color emails. I could not get them. I was enoying Shade of Gray's and Tin Man's dicussion about the topic. Tin Man, if you get a garter in the fall, pick it up and wonder at how it curls itself around your hand and wrists for warmth. Works on early summer days too with young non venonous snakes. They are like cats....use us for tempature.
I am working on the wasps. I am prepelexed since I have storm windows now, but I think they are coming in thru my chimney. I haven't been stung. They are very slow but it is an battle when I get home form work. I have had one on my shoe and one on my shirt but I got them first. I refuse to hose my house down with a spray, so I will just wait for the freeze.
I wasn't trying to suggest you spray down the inside of your house. But a few squirts up the chimney would not be out of line. Better yet, just build a blazing fire. That out to toast them.
I am a bit late on the reply but that was a milk snake. It was probably planning to hibernate in your basement. This means you have an opening somewhere for them to get it. If you don't want them getting in again I suggest going around you house from the outside and using some foam insulation in a can to seal the place up. Definitely a Milk snake.
Cheers,
Chuck Annicelli
www.Connecticutherpetologist.com (http://www.Connecticutherpetologist.com)
Thanks for your post Chuck. Maybe the doubters will now believe.
aaroniguana
11-23-2008, 18:18
hibernate
No need to dumb it down, Chuck. (Most) people here appreciate proper use of the English language.
Is that an inside techno-scientific inside joke?
I still insist it was an anaconda.
aaroniguana
11-23-2008, 18:35
Mammals hibernate. Reptiles brumate.
i appreciated it chuck. i'm dumb and didn't know the other term.
Mammals hibernate. Reptiles brumate.
But I really want it to be an anaconda.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dormancy
Fun reading on dormancy.
Sasquatch, when you run out of snake food, I'll take him off your hands. I have caught so many mice (15) in the past week that I am considering moving into an AT shelter. :D
Want rid of your mice problem & dn't want a snake in your basement? Get a few (2 minimum, they are social critters) pet rats! Seriously. We havn't had a mouse in the house in 4 years. They won't invade a rat's territory.
That said: I agree that the snake in question is harmeless, it kind of looks like a small black snake to me, but the ones I have seen aren't as clearly marked as this one seems to be. And the ones at my parents farm were alot bigger. I never saw (to my knowledge) a juvinile.
I didnt read any of the other replies but looks like a milk snake to me... sorry if it was already stated..
It's a species of rat snake. I worked as a herpetologist at a tourist trap in Florida for 2+ years so I am confident in my ability to promise you it's non-venomous.
sasquatch2014
04-03-2009, 08:21
Once I saw the eyes I was sure that it was non venomous. The nice thing about NA with he exception of the Coral snake all have the vertical pupil. I believe that most agree it is a Milk Snake. I do live right at the edge of an area know to have Copperheads that is why it gave me pause when I first saw it until I saw the head and the eyes.